As you start your e-commerce journey, it can be hard to know what first steps to take to optimize your website. Many people know to design their site in a logical way, with clear logos, description, images, and navigation. However, after these necessary tasks are finished, a blog is often overlooked. It is seen as a nice-to-have online feature instead of a must.
According to Hubspot, marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts. In fact, businesses that regularly publish content are more likely to have a higher organic search engine ranking and more loyal customers. However, these are not the only positive factors a blog can bring to your site. We created a list of its 5 major contributions below.
Build Relationships
Creating and publishing great content on your blog can help you to get to know your customers and develop relationships with them. Relevant and well-thought-out content will engage your readers and make them feel like your store is a trustworthy source of information. Heck, it’s one of the primary value propositions you can offer in-store – why not showcase it in a digital format too?
Build a conversation by asking your readers questions about their personal experiences at the end of your posts, or by opening the page to comments and feedback. By allowing a conversation to be had on your site, customers will see your brand as more human. This will help you overcome the challenge of getting e-commerce customers to see your brick and mortar personality through your website without speaking with them directly in-person.
Optimize for Search
Having a regular blogging schedule gives search engines consistently fresh content to discover and rank highly, as customers are searching for industry related products. For example, if you write a post about the benefits of Limited Ingredient Diets, your blog has a chance to rank higher if someone is searching for that specific information in your local market. The more niche your keywords are, the more likely you are to come up as a result in a customer’s search. This is because the competition on those search terms is lower and you have a better chance of competing. Do you offer specialized services around specific dietary needs in-store? That is something unique that not many retailers can offer, and that you definitely want to be front and center. To learn more about SEO, check out our article An Introduction to Local SEO.
Improve Market Research
Studying your website’s analytics will allow you to effectively understand what your audience really wants. You can do this from the back-end analytics tab of your site or by analyzing the page reports on Google Analytics. This information will allow you to spy on what pages and products people are viewing and clicking on the most, and this gives you an idea of where their interest lies. For example, if your most common products are freeze-dried, writing a post about success stories involving freeze dried foods would probably peak a lot of people’s interests. If your most popular post involved training tips, you can try creating a new post on must-know commands or your top 10 training toys and treats.
You can also use the Google Analytics to observe a customer’s journey before adding an item to their cart. According to the Demand Gen Report, 47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging in a sale. This means that having an extensive blog can contribute to sales, even if that sale isn’t directly attributable to your blog.
Heighten Industry Reputation
By posting meaningful and unique content online, other people in your industry will come to you to learn more about their business. Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information. Your goal is for people to see your site as a constant and reliable source of knowledge for them to fit into their routine. Make sure your content comes from credible sources- you could even conduct an interview with your local expert if you need more information! Gaining visitors and readers through these posts will also help you to network and attract other entrepreneurs and professionals to you. Who knows – your local shelter could be looking for a local retail partner to send new adoptive parents.
Overall, writing more blog posts having to do with the products you sell will connect more people to your brand, improve sales, and increase the quality of your site. Just one post a month has the power to make a notable difference in your site’s traffic!
For more information on what content to create on your blog, check out our article Online Content Ideas For Your Business